Fire-escape.



'No. 767,166. PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904. H. J. NOLL.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 9, 1904.

HENRY JOHN NOLL, OF MILI/VAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,166, dated August9, 1904.

Application filed March 21, 1904:. Serial No. 199,094- (NO model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J OHN'NOLL, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to provide simple economical portablemachines of the kind commonly known as fire-escapes, the same beingdesigned, in connection with suitable guides, to facilitate descent fromfloors or stagings of buildings, the guides being attached at theirupper ends to stationary devices of suitable strength; and saidinvention consists in certain peculiarities of construction andcombination of parts hereinafter particularly set forth with referenceto the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a partlysectional front elevation ofa machine in accordance with my invention clutched on parallel guides;and Figs. 2 and 3, horizontal section views of fragments of the machine,these views being respectively indicated by lines 2 2 and 3 3 in thefirst figure of the series.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates a plate of suitablematerial and of any suitable configuration at the lower portion thereofto provide for grip of the same by the operator of the machine of whichit forms a part. The front side of the plate is provided with uppercorner-lugs b, that are vertically grooved to constitute inwardly-openjaws engageable with parallel guides B, of flexible wire or othersuitable material, having their upper ends provided with hooks 0 orother suitable means for the attachment of each to some other suitabledevice.

Vertically-grooved lower corner-flanges (Z of the plate A are engaged bysplit sleeves C, held in place by rivets or other suitable means, andthe guides B engage the sleeves.

Bolted or otherwise secured to the front of the plate A are blocks 6,that serve as guides for horizontal shanks f of jaws D, that engage thejaws aforesaid against the guides B therein, and a pair ofvertically-disposed levers E, fulcrumed on a front lug g of said plate,have their upper ends in connection with the shanks of the movable jaws.

Above their fulcrurns the levers are provided with forwardly-projectingears h, and guided in these ears are pins F, having inwardly-flangedeccentric heads 1', engaged by the ends of a spiral spring G undertension, 7

the expansive force of the spring being suflicient to hold the machineat any elevation. to which it may be adjusted on its guides. Below theirfulcrum the levers extend between a horizontal flange of the plate A anda guardbar 70, made fast at its ends to said flange by screws or othersuitable means.

By grippingthe free ends of the levers and pressing inward, the clutchof the jaws D on the guides B is increased to regulate the descendingspeed of the operator hanging from the machine, it being possible toexert suflicient friction on said guides to stop said machine in itsdescent.

The guides B may be portable with the machine or permanently secured toa building or staging.

Depending from the plate A, central of the same, is a loop on for asling H for the operator of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A plate provided with upper front jaws, other jaws engageable withthose aforesaid to grip interposed guides and having shanks guided onthe plate, vertically-disposed levers fulcrumed in connection with saidplate and connected at their upper ends to said shanks, pins for whichthe levers are provided with guides above their ful'crums, and a springunder tension between heads of the pins.

2. Aplate provided with upper front jaws, other jaws engeagable withthose aforesaid to grip interposed guides and having shanks guided onthe plate, spring-controlled vertically-disposed levers fulcrumed inconnection with said plate and connected at their upper ends to saidshanks, and split sleeves in connection with the lower portion of theaforesaid plate for engagement with the parallel guides gripped by thejaws.

3. A plate provided with upper front jaws,

aforesaid to grip interposed guides and provided with shanks guided onthe plate, and spring-controlled vertically-disposed levers that havefulcrum connection with said plate and are connected at their upper endsto said. shanks.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing 1 have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of \Viseonsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

HENRY JOHN NOLL.

WVitnesses:

N. E. OLIPHAN'I, R. J. BARSOH.

